Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

In the study, Yu Xiaogang was hunched over his desk, his eyes bloodshot, but his face was filled with an almost manic excitement.

A thick stack of drafts lay open in front of him, densely covered with theoretical analyses of the third spirit ring, the selection of spirit beasts, and the expected spirit skills.

"This is it! The Thousand-Year Thunderous Earth Dragon!" Yu Xiaogang slammed his hand on the table, making the pen holder jump.

He stared intently at the name of the soul beast on the paper, which had been circled countless times, his breathing heavy.

Thunder Earth Dragon, a sub-dragon soul beast, possesses a rare dragon bloodline and is adept at manipulating lightning and earth power. Its defense and attack power are both extremely outstanding.

The abilities attached to his spirit rings are very likely to grant Luo Sanpao powerful lightning attacks or enhanced defenses, which is exactly what he needs.

“The time limit... 2,500 years!” Yu Xiaogang licked his chapped lips, his eyes flashing with a mad light.

"With Her Majesty Gedo's elixir as an aid, I will definitely be able to absorb it within this timeframe! Definitely!"

Despite having Ge Duo's elixir, Yu Xiaogang dared not set the age limit too high, after all, he had learned from his father, Yu Yuanzhen, that the elixir did not have a 100% success rate.

After selecting the soul beast for his third soul ring, he no longer hesitated. He immediately spread out a sheet of paper and wrote down the plan and soul beast selection that he already knew by heart.

Yu Xiaogang's words were earnest and urgent, as he wished his father, Yu Yuanzhen, could see them immediately and take him to hunt soul beasts.

After writing the letter, he went back to the reputable Soul Master Station, paid the express fee, and watched the messenger beast disappear into the sky with the letter tube before he finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, his excitement was not diminished at all; on the contrary, it was even more intense.

After returning to the courtyard, Yu Xiaogang began pacing back and forth, unable to calm down. One moment he was imagining the scene of his strength greatly increasing after obtaining his third spirit ring, and the next he was worried that his father might think that the spirit beast he had chosen was too old and too risky.

This anxious wait lasted less than a day.

The next afternoon, Yu Yuanzhen reappeared at the entrance of the courtyard.

"Father!" Yu Xiaogang almost lunged forward, his voice trembling, "Did you receive the letter?"

Yu Yuanzhen looked at his son's bloodshot yet frighteningly bright eyes, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Received. Since you've made your decision, then go."

He didn't ask any further questions, nor did he try to dissuade him.

For this son who had endured a life of hardship, any cautious word at this moment could be seen as a blow. He was willing to fight alongside him this time.

"Leave now?" Yu Xiaogang was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. "Okay! Okay! Let's leave now!"

He didn't even have time to say goodbye to Tang San and Cinderella in the next room. His heart was filled with the desire to obtain a spirit ring, and he hurriedly left the courtyard with Yu Yuanzhen.

After leaving Tiandou City, Yu Yuanzhen immediately unleashed his power, using a gentle soul force to support Yu Xiaogang, and their speed suddenly increased as they sped towards the Soul Hunting Forest, the exclusive domain of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan.

The speed of a titled Douluo is incredibly fast; the wind whistles past Yu Xiaogang's ears, and the scenery on both sides rushes past.

He gripped Yu Yuanzhen's clothes tightly, feeling the reassuring and powerful aura emanating from him, his heart filled with boundless anticipation for the future.

……

Yu Yuanzhen moved extremely fast, and with Yu Xiaogang, they arrived at the outer edge of the Soul Hunting Forest, which belonged to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect, in less than half a day.

This forest is far smaller than the Star Dou Great Forest, but it is rich in the variety of soul beasts, especially the sub-dragon soul beasts with dragon blood, which are a unique feature of this place.

The clan disciples guarding the forest entrance bowed respectfully upon seeing their sect leader arrive, daring not to show the slightest negligence. Yu Yuanzhen merely nodded slightly before leading Yu Xiaogang straight inside.

As soon as you enter the forest, the light around you dims, and the air is filled with the scent of grass, trees and earth, occasionally mixed with the low growls of unknown soul beasts coming from afar.

Yu Yuanzhen slowed his pace, and the subtle aura of a Title Douluo naturally emanated from his body, causing some weaker soul beasts with keen senses to avoid him and not dare to approach.

He glanced at his son beside him, whose face was pale with excitement and nervousness. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but speak, his voice low and tinged with barely perceptible worry: "Xiaogang, are you really sure? Your third spirit ring has been absorbed for over two thousand years. You know, even Her Majesty Geduo's pills aren't always effective. What if..."

Yu Yuanzhen didn't say what came next, but the meaning was clear.

If one fails to absorb a spirit ring of a higher level, the consequences can range from minor damage to the meridians and a decline in spirit power to the shattering of the martial spirit or even death on the spot.

Yu Xiaogang was his most beloved son, and Yu Yuanzhen simply couldn't afford to take that risk.

Yu Xiaogang suddenly raised his head, his lips pressed tightly together, appearing somewhat pale from the effort.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with a resolute determination: "That's right, Father! I've thought it through very clearly!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice rose slightly due to his emotional excitement, sounding somewhat abrupt in the quiet forest.

"I don't want to be a useless person anymore! I really don't!" His voice carried a hint of suppressed sobs and resentment.

Chapter 163 Absorbing Soul Rings

"Yes, I broke through level 30, but so what? There are still level 40, level 50... one bottleneck after another waiting for me! My martial soul is Luo Sanpao, a failed mutation, which makes me inherently weaker than others. If I don't even dare to pursue the limit of my soul rings, how can I catch up? How can I make up for this innate gap? Am I supposed to hide under your wing for the rest of my life and be a soul master who always needs to be protected?"

Yu Xiaogang gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, his eyes fixed on Yu Yuanzhen: "Father, this is my only chance! I'll use the pills to fight for a stronger future! If I don't even dare to do this, I'd rather... I'd rather be a level 30 piece of trash!"

Looking at the almost insane obsession and deep despair in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Yu Yuanzhen's words of advice, which were on the tip of his tongue, ultimately turned into a long sigh.

He understood his son; the inferiority and resentment that had been building up for so long due to the mutation of his martial soul meant that now that he finally saw a glimmer of hope to break free, there was absolutely no turning back.

That's it.

Yu Yuanzhen reached out and patted Yu Xiaogang's slightly thin shoulder heavily, his tone deep and serious: "Since you've made up your mind, I'll gamble with you this time!"

He said no more, identified the direction, and his powerful mental energy spread forward like an invisible tide, accurately searching for the aura of the target soul beast.

"Come with me."

Yu Yuanzhen let out a low shout, and with a swift movement, he sped off in a certain direction of the forest. Yu Xiaogang quickly gathered his soul power and followed closely behind.

With a Title Douluo personally searching, the efficiency was naturally extremely high. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yu Yuanzhen had locked onto a soul beast that met the requirements.

It was a massive, thunderous earth dragon.

It lay prone in a relatively open pile of rocks, its body exceeding five meters in length, covered entirely in thick, dark brown scales, with faint blue electric light flickering between the scales. A thick, single horn atop its forehead pointed straight to the sky, occasionally emitting a few tiny sparks of electricity, exuding a chilling aura.

Judging from the energy fluctuations emanating from it, its age is approximately 2,500 years.

“That’s it.” Yu Yuanzhen’s eyes sharpened as he said to Yu Xiaogang, “You step back, I’ll handle this.”

Before he finished speaking, Yu Yuanzhen's aura suddenly changed, like a sleeping lion awakening, and a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the pile of rocks.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, black—nine perfectly matched spirit rings rose from beneath his feet. The last five deep black spirit rings, in particular, exuded an oppressive aura that would terrify most spirit beasts.

Sensing this terrifying aura far exceeding its own, the Thunder Earth Dragon instantly awoke from its slumber, letting out a roar mixed with fear and rage. Its thick limbs slammed into the ground, attempting to escape.

But would Yu Yuanzhen give it that chance?

He raised his hand and pressed lightly in the air.

An invisible, immense force descended instantly, pressing down on the thunderous earth dragon like a mountain.

Just as the Thunder Earth Dragon was about to get up, it let out a roar of alarm and anger. Its massive body was pressed firmly to the ground by this force. Its limbs struggled violently, plowing out deep furrows. Lightning flashed wildly on its scales, but it could not break free at all.

For a titled Douluo to deal with such a thousand-year-old soul beast is simply to crush it.

"Xiao Gang, let's do it!" Yu Yuanzhen shouted in a low voice.

Yu Xiaogang jolted awake, knowing this was the most crucial moment. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his fear, and retrieved a gleaming short sword from his soul tool. This was given to him by Yu Yuanzhen before his departure, specifically for finishing off soul beasts.

He glanced at the Thunder Earth Dragon, which was being suppressed and roaring in vain, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

Yu Xiaogang mustered all his soul power, which he had just broken through to level 30, and channeled it into his legs. He suddenly leaped out from behind the boulder and charged toward the relatively vulnerable neck of the Thunder Earth Dragon.

Although the Thunder Dragon was suppressed, its bestial nature remained. Sensing the approaching threat, it suddenly twisted its head and let out a roar mixed with the power of lightning, which made Yu Xiaogang's eardrums hurt and his forward momentum was involuntarily halted.

"Don't be afraid! It can't move!" Yu Yuanzhen's voice came like a reassuring pill.

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, charged forward again, aimed his short sword at the scale-covered neck, and with all his might, stabbed it down hard!

"Pfft!"

The short sword easily pierced through the scales and penetrated deeply.

The Thunder Earth Dragon let out an extremely mournful cry, its massive body convulsed violently a few times, the ferocious light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and finally it remained completely still.

A deep purple soul ring slowly condensed above his corpse.

Yu Yuanzhen concealed his aura and retreated to Yu Xiaogang's side.

"Xiao Gang, hurry up."

Yu Xiaogang stared at the purple soul ring that radiated an alluring light, his heart pounding and his palms sweating profusely.

He took a deep breath, took out the pill his father had given him from his pocket, and swallowed it without hesitation.

The pill entered the stomach and immediately transformed into a gentle yet firm heat that spread throughout the body.

Yu Xiaogang dared not delay. He immediately sat down cross-legged, concentrated his mind and guided his soul power to slowly draw up the thousand-year soul ring.

As if drawn by something, the purple light enveloped Yu Xiaogang's body.

The moment the spirit ring energy surged into his body, even with the protection of the elixir, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

The violent energy, like a flood bursting its banks, surged through his newly expanded meridians, bringing excruciating, tearing pain.

Unlike the excruciating pain he felt when breaking through to level 30, this was a more profound and domineering impact, as if it were about to completely burst his body.

Yu Xiaogang's face instantly turned bright red, veins bulged on his forehead and neck, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He clenched his teeth so tightly that he could even hear the grinding sound of his teeth.

We cannot give up! We absolutely cannot give up!

He frantically circulated his meager soul power, like a small boat in a raging storm, trying his best to guide and adapt to the enormous external energy, refining it little by little and integrating it into his own martial soul origin.

Yu Yuanzhen stood to the side, expressionless, but his hands behind his back clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white.

He could clearly sense the dangerous energy conflict within his son's body, and every time Yu Xiaogang's body trembled violently, his heart would clench.

After an unknown amount of time, the chaotic aura around Yu Xiaogang gradually stabilized, and the purple spirit ring that had been floating above his head also became completely stable. Its light dimmed, and it slowly sank down, finally landing on Luo Sanpao's round body, alongside the other two yellow spirit rings.

It worked!

Chapter 164 Research Personnel

Yu Xiaogang suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes bursting with uncontrollable joy and excitement.

He succeeded! He successfully absorbed a third spirit ring that was 2,500 years old!

"Father! I did it!" Yu Xiaogang looked at Yu Yuanzhen excitedly, his voice hoarse but full of strength.

Looking at the solid purple spirit ring at Yu Xiaogang's feet, Yu Yuanzhen's tense face finally broke into a relieved smile. He patted Yu Xiaogang's shoulder heavily: "Good! Good! My son, Yu Yuanzhen's son, is indeed no ordinary talent!"

After the initial excitement, Yu Xiaogang couldn't wait to test his third soul skill.

With a thought, the brand-new purple soul ring beneath his feet instantly lit up.

"Third Soul Skill: Fart Like Thunder, Paralyzing!"